Yesterday, the Philadelphia Flyers made additional cuts, reducing the team’s roster by eleven. Today, Jacob Gaucher and Lane Pederson joined the list of players returning to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
However, one name boldly stands out from them all. That’s Emil Andrae. A former second-round selection from the 2020 NHL Entry Draft was one of the defensemen on the cusp of cracking the 2025-2026 opening night roster with the Flyers. However, he joined Helge Grans, Hunter McDonald, and Ty Murchison as defensemen cut from the Philadelphia roster. Egor Zamula, Dennis Gilbert, Adam Ginning, and Noah Juulsen survived the roster cuts.
When you look at the defensemen who survived the roster cuts, it’s harder to justify cutting Andrae. Rick Tocchet deployed a new system and has a rapport with Juulsen, who is a right-handed shot. However, when you compare the on-ice performances from this 2025 NHL Preseason, Andrae seemed destined to pair with Ginning on opening night. Ginning and Andrae had a sturdy 2025 Training Camp along with their preseason exhibitions, which is more than could be said for Zamula, Gilbert, and Juulsen.
It wasn’t long ago, at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, that size was a clear emphasis for the Flyers. Andrae, 5’9” and 189lbs, is on the smaller end, but he proved in the NHL that he plays with physicality. Juulsen showed the same tenacity in the shootout win against the Boston Bruins, but Andrae is the better NHL option based on comparative bodies of work.
If Andrae isn’t going to compete in Philadelphia, relegated to the AHL, then where does his relationship with the Flyers go from here?
A Fair Shake?
Shaquille O’Neal once said, “I owe you an apology. I wasn’t really familiar with your game.” He said that about Christian Wood, who scored 27 points with the Houston Rockets versus the San Antonio Spurs. Since then, the quote became an internet meme, taking on a life of its own.
Currently, Tocchet plays the role of O’Neal in this scenario, and Andrae is the target instead of Wood.
Before Tocchet became the head coach, Andrae was on the cusp of breaking through. He competed in more than half of the regular season games in 2024-2025. John Tortorella relied on veteran defensemen, such as Erik Johnson, to platoon with Zamula. Even then, Andrae was the better on-ice option to fit the bottom pair.
Entering the 2025 Training Camp and NHL Preseason, Andrae was a favorite to earn an opening night role with Rasmus Ristolainen (tricep) unavailable to begin the 2025-2026 NHL Regular Season. He continued to join the attack in the offensive zone, doing as much when paired with McDonald, most recently against the Bruins.
Andrae averaged 18:36TOI, tallying 5HIT, 2BLK, 1SOG, 1GWG, 4PIM, and a -1 rating. Joining the attack to help with puck battles backfired against the New York Islanders, but Andrae scored the game-winning shootout goal to provide Philadelphia with a win. There’s much more to like about his game than to dismiss. He was decisive with the puck, too, not turning it over. At the end of the day, Tocchet chose the defenseman he was familiar with.
Size and Familiarity
Special teams were a heavy emphasis during the last half hour of practice yesterday. Andrae would not be involved in the power play, anyhow. Juulsen is someone who stood out on the penalty kill, particularly in Boston.
“We got done what we wanted to do; mostly heavy special teams at the last twenty-five, thirty minutes, which is important to us. With the training schedule, it’s been a little tough for us. We finally got that day where we can really do some teaching.” – Rick Tocchet; 9/30/2025
Juulsen is 6’2” and 201lbs, formerly a defenseman from the Vancouver Canucks when Tocchet was the head coach. Size and physicality are traits that bond well together on defensive units, but one isn’t always a requirement. Of the two traits, size isn’t always necessary, but it soothes the optics. Usually, the belief is that size translates to physicality, and while Juulsen is physical, so is Andrae. However, and not subtly, Tocchet prefers sizable defensemen for the role.
“Hockey and lineups are a puzzle. Whoever that fifth, sixth; if Zamula’s the fifth, we don’t know quite yet, but if Z [Zamula] holds the fifth, usually that sixth spot has to be a penalty killer. It’s got to be a guy who can defend, and if he’s big, that’s even better. But, saying that, it doesn’t mean a smaller guy couldn’t go in. It’s that you got to be really good at something in those situations. But, a PK [penalty kill] guy is something that should dictate the sixth spot.” – Rick Tocchet; 9/30/2025
Tocchet isn’t foreign to the 8D/12F format. Typically, 7D/13F is the common format penciled in by most NHL head coaches. What’s nice about the communication is that Tocchet, Daniel Brière, and Keith Jones are open to feedback, and the NHL roster remains fluid. For the time being, these formats don’t include Andrae, which begs the question: what happens with him next?
Keep Developing or Move On?
A definitive answer wasn’t provided regarding the interest Tocchet had in Andrae. For a new head coach, it’s easier to rely on who you bring with you from elsewhere before you have an indication of what a prospect can do in a farm system you’re not quite familiar with. Relying on John Snowden and the reports provided by the Phantoms will prove invaluable for the Flyers. Almost immediately, Tocchet cited the four defensemen who were on the bubble of cracking the 2025-2026 NHL Roster (Ginning, Juulsen, Zamula, Gilbert):
“There’s four, five guys in that range. These games are important to guys; these exhibition games. Playing Boston [Bruins] the other night, they’re putting some pressure on us, and you’re watching; ‘Can this guy handle pressure? Can this guy make a good breakout play? Pastrňák’s on you; he’s all over you. Can you make a play through one of the best players in the league [NHL]?’ These are things that you’re looking for. Do I wish that some of these guys could get ten games and more sample size? Yeah, but unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of time. You really got to show your stuff if you’re in the lineup.” – Rick Tocchet; 9/30/2025
What’s clear from Tocchet in that answer is that he believes Andrae did not show enough, coupled with a lack of size, to survive roster cuts. The definitive answer was Andrae being cut yesterday, en route to Lehigh Valley. A mixture of a preference for sizeable defensemen and a new system, including defensive concepts, kept Andrae out of the mix. Zamula, a fringe NHL defenseman since 2023-2024, looked slow in his skating and play recognition during the 2025 NHL Preseason, and Gilbert, a transplant from the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators, didn’t pop either. Yet, per the roster cuts, Andrae is fifth in line, at best.
The next step in developing Andrae is allowing him to compete in the NHL. Juulsen is granted the 3RD role, and, per Tocchet, it doesn’t sound like Zamula is out of contention for the 3LD role with Ginning. Leaving Andrae on the Phantoms only helps his development if the same defensive concepts are channeled in Lehigh Valley as they are in Philadelphia.
There’s the option to trade Andrae, too. Brière could stand to gain more draft capital for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
However, Andrae won’t help move the needle in a trade if he’s sedentary in the AHL.
